No matter where you go these days, every store seems to have some kind of sale going on that is supposed to draw you into their store and get you to buy their products. And while it might seem really tempting to get something new because it is on sale and seems like a good deal, do you honestly need more things in your life?

Experts have claimed that we experience a rush of endorphins when making the decision to buy an item because we believe we get a good deal. But that high doesn’t last long and sometimes we come home and don’t even remember why we just purchased it in the first place.

Look around you. While reading this article you might be sitting in your living room, your bedroom or in some other room. How much of the stuff that is in there do you use on a regular basis? How much of it are you holding on to because it has some sentimental value for you? How many of the things you see have you been wanting to give away or even throw away? Chances are you will find at least a couple of these items.

Especially around this time of year when we spend so much time inside, we get the feeling that the rooms we are in daily, become smaller. This might have something to do with the fact that we can’t go outside because the days are shorter, and the weather is much colder.

But it could also have something to do with the fact that there is too much clutter.

About a year ago I found myself in the library strolling through the endless seeming bookshelves when one book, in particular, caught my eye. “The Joy of Less: A Minimalist Guide to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify” by Francine Jay.

I’ve heard of minimalism before but besides scamming an article or two on the subject I had never given it much thought. Somehow, I ended up checking out that book and as soon as I was home I started reading it and didn’t put it down until I was done. While I wouldn’t say that I have become an extreme minimalist, I have certainly started to incorporate many minimalist habits into my life.

One of the first things I did was to really declutter my apartment at the time. Not only did I go through my closet, but I also took a really hard look at all the other rooms and the things which were in those rooms. All the items that I barely used or needed were either thrown out or given away to people that I knew could use them or to charity shops. Getting rid of all these things made me feel really good. Not only did my apartment seem to be bigger all of a sudden, it also felt as if I could breath more easily.

Living with less has made me enjoy other things more. Not having so much materialistic crap to hold on to, really helped put into focus what really does matter. Once you are not caught up in trying to find your happiness temporarily in articles that advertisement is telling you, you need to have in order to live a good life, you can start actually living. When we start to focus on quality rather than quantity it becomes clear that no amount of materials will truly make us happy.

Therefore, when you walk past a shop next time that is telling you that they have an amazing sale, really think about it. Will that shirt, that new make-up, or even those headphones really enrich your life or are they just one more thing that you will add to your room and soon forget about? If you can't answer this with a definitive no then keep on walking and save yourself the trouble, time and money. Instead, try and find something else that will improve your life.